This show seems to be generating a lot of angst among some, so we've consolidated the commentary here to allow for interaction and coherence.
We are sorry that some patrons that posted here did not enjoy themselves for various reasons. We do understand that when people are unhappy, they want to make it known, and that is one reason we provide this forum. And while the setlist content can be disputed ad nauseum, and we might well disagree with other statements made here, I would like to make only one point. To a man, we are all huge fans of Prince's music - clearly not the same set of hits that some of you enjoy, but that is the danger of paying tribute to a performer who has such a large and diverse catalog. Some of the very same songs that people have complained about here are the same songs that other fans came up to thank us for doing at the shows. So you misunderstood our intention if you thought we were trying to alienate anyone - we were merely representing a wide array of songs from a very controversial artist's career that we really like. The vast majority of people who saw the shows enjoyed them quite a lot, but we are never glad to see anyone unhappy with the shows. We did have fun, and our intention was to share that with you.
If you should decide to come again in the future, we hope you will keep in mind that we do not choose our sets based on sales or chart positions - rather we choose songs that we truly enjoy and feel are representative of the breadth of an artist's catalog, based solely on our individual tastes - we always have. If you decide that we're not your cup of tea, we are sorry to see you go, but thank you for giving us a try. We hope your year is a happy one.
***ORIGINALLY POSTED BY MEMBER "letsgocrazy" in Guestbook on 1/1/2012***
I was disappointed in your Prince show last night. The play list was too obscure and I know many in the crowd were disappointed. Really? No 1999, Rasberry Beret or Purple Rain??? But "Nothing Compares 2 U" makes the list??? I felt cheated.
----Point of order : "Purple Rain" was the closer for all the shows.
***ORIGINALLY POSTED BY MEMBER "TomL" in Guestbook on 1/1/2012***
I would second letsgocrazy's comments above. I've been to 5 Tributosaurus shows so far (Journey, One-Hit Wonders of the 80s, Bee Gees, Journey and EW&F) -- and absolutely love what you do and how much passion you have for this music. What's different in this case is that I'm a huge Prince fan and very familiar with this entire catalog as opposed to the other acts above. Maybe I'm too close to it...but I think some of these of these song selections were definitely too obscure and simply not among his stronger songs. I understand the challenge of picking from so many albums and wanting to feature your vocalists and musicians...but "Electric Chair" from Batman..."Seven"..."Pussy Control"...that slow jam that I don't even believe was on an album and passing up songs like "Kiss"....his new wave classic "When U Were Mine" and great duets like "U Got the Look" "Take Me With You" or "Erotic City" ..and tremendous grooves that would killed like "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and "Girls and Boys." And those 20-minute dueling guitar solos in "Lady Cabdriver" were perhaps a touch too long. The band and the vocalists last night were outstanding...just wish the set list could have been tweaked a bit. Good luck with Stevie!
***ORIGINALLY POSTED BY MEMBER "MichaelW" in Guestbook on 1/2/2012***
I gotta say you guys really disappointed on New Years Eve at Martyrs. So much so that I think you actually ruined the night for many of the people in my party, which numbered about 15. Seriously, it's New Year's eve, so you should have expected that the people in attendance wanted to dance -- not contemplate the intricate musical arrangements from some obscure Prince tunes! You chose tunes that Prince himself would never play live! In any case, I think you need to do a bit more research on the audience and entertainment value of what you are trying to present before you attempt to play on such an important night. You certainly had the talent on stage to make for a truly memorable night, but instead you truly disappointed...
***ORIGINALLY POSTED BY MEMBER "NickiM" in Guestbook on 1/2/2012***
The 12/30/11 show at Martyr's was disappointing. I agree with the comments about the obscure playlist selections and would like to add that reading the lyrics (badly), as you're playing, gives the impression of a glorified karaoke scene rather than a show that cost $40/ticket. In addition, starting nearly 45 minutes late for a 10pm show is simply rude. Our monthly 'date night' ended with us leaving early after the band couldn't seem to decide on a key to play in & had to restart several songs.
***ORIGINALLY POSTED BY MEMBER "Northsider" in 'Welcome' Topic on 1/2/2012***
I also brought a group of visitors to the New Years Eve show, told them how awesome it would be! Glad you guys were amused and had fun. Clearly no one else did. Covering obscure songs is one thing. Trying to alienate the audience is another. We know you guys are artsy, talented and cool and don't like most of Prince's music. It was painful to watch and not be digestable, guessing that was the plan. Pin it up on the board!
I've been to roughly a dozen Tributosaurus shows, and I would say that the New Year's Eve Prince show was the weakest of them all. Criticizing the set list is always a tricky thing, since part of the allure of Tributosaurus is that, unlike a regular tribute band, you guys do go to deep cuts. Nevertheless, when the show is not an ordinary Wednesday night affair, but a special celebration night with a much higher ticket price, it's easy to understand why people would complain. I was certainly expecting more of a dance party, and during the first set, it came closer to that, but the second set lost all of that momentum. The (poor) decision to ring in midnight with two renditions of "Darling Nikki" was a harbinger of what was to come.
Perhaps more problematic was the fact that this was a show where guest vocalists should have played an even more prominent role than they did. While I love Matt as a vocalist and think Chris is really good on the right songs, neither was well suited to most of the songs they did. This was frustrating, knowing there were capable singers available.
Of course, there were a number of fine renditions, and when the band really locked into a groove, it was great. For example, "Alphabet Street" and "Housequake" sounded fantastic. But overall, it was too inconsistent, and the set cooled off when it should have heated up. I'd give it a B-. Which means that even when Tributosaurus doesn't thrill me, they are still better than average.
I couldn't disagree more!My husband had to work NYE and I thought I would have to miss the Prince show, but he surprised me with tix. I went to the January 1st show at Fitzgerald's and everyone was dancing their arses off! Couldn't have been happier with the set list.....grinding with "Darling Nicki". My husband was not as enthusiastic about going because he didn't think he knew enough Prince songs and ended up knowing all but one! He was talking about what a GREAT show it was and how much fun we had for the past two days! I am still smiling! And one more thing, about the $40. ticket fee.... it is alot, but completely worth it. I really feel priviliged to treat myself to the treasure trove that is Tributosaurus!!!
Everyone's a critic! Until you've actually been in a band and had to put together a setlist, there's no way you can possibly understand what goes into it. Seriously, trying to "guess" what the audience is going to want to hear is a road to nowhere, so you play what you like, and if things go well, the audience will enjoy it too. To accuse them of purposely trying to alienate the audience is patently ludicrous. The crowd at FitzGerald's were having a great time, and even seemed to enjoy the dueling guitar solos - which was an amazing display of musicianship, and damn funky! Personally, Darling Nikki and 7 were highlights. I really didn't need to hear yet another rendition of 1999 or Kiss. Of course, my wife says I'm a music snob, so maybe I'm should just keep my mouth closed....
Well...have to give some props to Mr. Neville for grouping these comments all together for transparency and posting his response -- he didn't have to do that and it shows class. I think Mike B's comments crystalize my thoughts even better than my original posting and Gino's comments are well taken -- but we're essentially talking about two different shows and the audience and their expectations for each probably varied quite a bit. I doubt that many of us on NYE thought that Tributosaurus was intentionally alienating the audience, but hanging on to the assertion that the "vast majority" of the audiences at these shows were enjoying them quite a lot also seems obviously contrary to what I experienced at this show (a lackluster audience response most of night, a modest amount of dancing and a rapidly thinning audience in the second set). Also, we aren't posting here for "various reasons" -- we're all saying the same thing. We took issue with the song choices. To that point, Mr. Neville's second-to-last paragraph hints that perhaps the band's following is perhaps getting too broad for its mission and clarifies that it has never sought out to be a crowd-pleasing jukebox and that those seeking just the hits may be better off not coming back in the future. Interesting point to make and suggests that this so-called "angst" isn't just being felt by the "patrons."
Please sign our guestbook below - it's good to know who our fans are, and we want to hear something about you.
If you have a band request, you should put it in the forums above in the "Who Should We Be?" category - that's what it's for, and when we look for what people are asking for, that's where we'll look! Simply "Add a Topic" in that board, and title it the name of the band you want - you can put why in the body if you like, and then people can second you on your topic.
We loved your White Album performance! Something for everyone. You got your rockers, USSR and Helter Skelter, your soft songs like Blackbird and My Guitar Gently Weeps and your anthems, Revolution and Obla Dee, Obla Daa! Real cool seeing Aunt Terry chiming in, and what's the other singers name again? Good job guys.
IronEd63
Lombard, IL, United States
May 24, 2013 @
8:27 AM
My wife and I share the same birthday- May 23rd. Since yooz guyz is going to play "birthday" tonight at Copernicus Center any way, A shout out to Annie and Eddie would be way cool! Thanx, Iron Ed.
Gruney
Tampa, FL, United States
Apr 15, 2013 @
7:15 AM
Great time at One-Hit Wonders! I would love to see you guys become John Hiatt. He has a great volume of music. Come on, give it a shot.
callaghan
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
Apr 9, 2013 @
10:44 PM
i'm OLD like over 50 and you guys make me feel young and happy. I LOVE your music and the way you deliver it! I am SO proud you are CHICAGO and you make me want to go to all your future shows! THANK YOU for being so talented and making your talents available. YOU ROCK! PS I sport your T shirts and they are super well made and properly fit. Great job in choosing a quality product because now I want more in the rest of the color choices!
RTYD
Schererville, IN
Apr 4, 2013 @
12:59 PM
Wouldn't it be cool to see these guys down in Jamaica at an all inclusive resort do 6 or 8 artist. Check out the message boards to weigh in on this idea!
DrLesLetch
Plainfield, Illinois
Mar 13, 2013 @
5:17 PM
Wow! What a gas! One Hit Wonders, amazing show, great venue, The Copernicus. Keep the Hits acomin"!
rman1961
Elwood, IL
Mar 10, 2013 @
10:11 PM
Took the wife to see one hit wonders of the 70s' Wow you guys were great!! First time i seen you guys IT definitely wont be the last. Thank You Guys& ladies for a TERRIFIC SHOW
needybrain
Chicago, Illinois
Mar 10, 2013 @
8:48 PM
70's One Hit Wonders!!!!! I had SO MUCH FUN! You guys are amazing! Where can I find your upcoming schedule?
REXMAJOR
Chicago, IL, United States
Mar 9, 2013 @
10:11 AM
got my tics at 410am this morning sweet
Sharona
Bolingbrook
Mar 9, 2013 @
2:40 AM
My husband got tix to this evening's "One Hit Wonders of the 70s" as a 46th birthday gift to me and we loved it!! We were amazed at how many songs you sang, how many musicians and singers were on stage, your fabulous arrangements and how much fun you -- and the audience were having. Our only suggestion -- the final song (I.e., the "encore") was weak, after so many "blow the roof off the joint" performances in both sets. Thanks to all, so much, for fabulous night out!! We'll see you again soon!!
